Coach
by MinnieBSB
Summary: Peter Stone wants to be Noah's coach. Potentially a Benstone story (obviously). Upped the rating just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello my lovely peeps! I wrote this two months ago and then this week's episode aired so I took that as I sign that I should post it despite all of my unfinished stuff. Also you'll find that I am not perfect when it comes to grammar so I deeply apologize for that. Thank you for reading and I'll try to put the second chapter up soon. XOXO_

"Momma, can I play baseball?"

Olivia put down the wooden spoon, surprised by her son's sudden interest in sports.

"I thought you wanted to wait until next spring" Olivia carefully responded as to not discourage him.

"But Ryan is playing this year and he said it'll be fun. Oh! Then he said he wants to be a professional baseball player when he grows up but I want to be a baseball player when I grow up and-"

"Breathe Noah" Olivia reminded him with a smile. She rounded the breakfast bar to comb her fingers through her son's hair. She placed a quick kiss on his forehead, which he leaned away from.

"Momma, athletes don't get kisses from their moms!" He explained with an eye roll, which was also new.

"Does that mean bedtime ones too?" Olivia asked, knowing how important his routine bedtime story and snuggles were.

Noah pretended to think about it for a second before reassuring that those ones were still okay.

"I'll think about it but right now it's spaghetti time".

Secretly she hoped that he would forget about it in a day or two. Of course she wanted him to be a well-rounded kid, but at the same time, their time together was already barely existent.

"I need more evidence to get the conviction Liv. You know that. One testimony from the victim won't guarantee that this bastard rots in jail for the rest of his life" Peter ranted in a well meaning way.

"I know" Olivia sighed. She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket and she wanted to scream. She didn't need anymore bad news.

"Benson". Olivia immediately smiled when she heard her son's voice. "Hi sweet boy, how was school today? No, I haven't signed you up for baseball yet. I still have to decide...Ok, Momma's working so I have to let you go. I'll see you at dinner time. I love you". She hung up the phone with a sad smile, hating that she couldn't go home and be with him right now. "Sorry for being rude, he's just been going crazy about baseball and I'm not sure if we can do it this year".

Peter's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "Do you realize who you are talking to right now? Of course you can do it this year".

Olivia shook her head, regretting bringing up the subject to Peter Stone, the former pitcher.

"Of course you feel that way".

Peter stood up, walking around his desk and sitting on the edge of it right in front of her.

"Come on Liv, what's the problem? Every kid should at least try a sport".

She wanted to tell him that he wouldn't understand until he was in her shoes himself, but the memory of similar encounters with Elliot stopped her. She hated when he said that to her.

"I want him to play sports and join clubs at school, but I already miss so much of his life. I can't imagine having one more thing on the schedule. If you know a way to stop people from committing crimes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings so I could go to his games, let me know". She forced out a laugh, trying to hide just how much she was stressing out.

Peter didn't fall for it. "How about a compromise?"

Olivia gave him a questioning look, willing to consider just about anything at this point.

He moved closer to her, almost too close, but not in a bad way?

"I'll teach Noah the basics whenever we all have some free time. That way there isn't another time commitment to worry about and you know that you like his coach" He said with a wink.

Olivia tried not to smile, but his excitement was contagious and overall endearing. It seemed that he wanted to teach Noah not just as a favor to her, but for himself.

"Peter you don't get much free time either. Is that really how you want to spend it?" She asked, just making sure that he didn't feel obligated.

Peter crossed his arms over his chest as he examined her for a moment. "Are you implying that I actually have a life outside of this office that I'd be missing out on? Let me tell you Lieutenant, you are sadly mistaken. It'd actually be nice to play catch with someone".

For the first time in a very long time, Olivia felt a tiny bit of her stress melt away. Hopefully this would satisfy Noah for now.

"I'll offer Noah the plea deal you came up with. Thank you Peter".

She turned to leave but was stopped by his voice calling her name.

"Yes Peter?"

"I really hope he agrees".

 _*Just a friendly reminder that I do not own Law and Order Special Victims Unit or the characters.*_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello my lovely peeps! Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I hope you enjoy the second chapter! Have a great day. XOXO_

 _Just a reminder that I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters._

Olivia watched as Noah pushed his green beans around on his plate, yet another lovely phase he was going through. Anything green on the plate would be played with, but go nowhere near his mouth.

"Come on Noah, three mouthfuls of your green beans and we can clean up dinner and play" Olivia wagered. As much as she wanted him to willingly eat his veggies, she knew that there was zero chance of that happening tonight.

"NO" He protested, throwing his fork down on the floor.

"Noah! We do not throw our utensils on the floor" Olivia scolded. It was taking all of her strength to not break down and just let him be done with dinner.

"We do not throw utensils on the floooooor" Noah mimicked.

"Stop that!" Olivia snapped.

"Stooooop thaaaat" Noah repeated and stuck out his tongue.

"Noah Porter Benson, you are going in time out for being disrespectful and throwing things that we shouldn't throw" Olivia explained to him as she lead him to his room. She hated having to do this, but it seemed like she was having to more and more.

Noah screamed and Olivia groaned. It was an overall terrible experience.

"You are going to sit here and think about what you did. I do not like to do this Noah but there are consequences to our actions. I love you very much."

She leaned down to kiss him on the forehead, but he ducked away from it. Olivia sighed and walked out of his room, needing some space to breathe.

They warned her that the twos would be terrible but no one prepared her for this.

She had just sat down on the couch when her phone started to ring. As if her patience could take anymore right now.

"Benson".

"Have you given Noah the plea yet?" Peter eagerly asked, making her smile.

"Not yet. He's having a tough day today. I feel like asking him today would be completely useless" She sighed.

"I may be overstepping, but you sound like you could use a break. What if I took Noah to the batting cages? I know you haven't talked to him about me teaching him a few things yet, but I think he'd go for it if he got a preview first".

"Peter, that would be really nice, but Noah has never even picked up a bat. I think the batting cages might be a little intense" Olivia reminded him. "I really appreciate the offer, but I think we're just going to stay in tonight".

"Well if you need a break, or even just to talk, let me know" Peter reminded her.

"I might take you up on that. I actually have to go talk to my grumpy butt now" Olivia said as she looked down the hall at her son sitting calmly on his bed.

They said their goodbyes and hung up leaving Olivia feeling oddly disappointed in herself. She could harp on that later, right now she needed to talk to Noah.

"Noah, are you ready to talk?" She asked as she stood in the doorway of his bedroom.

"Yes momma" He said quietly.

"Why were you being so grumpy today?" She asked as she sat down next to her not-so-little boy.

"Ryan's dad is coaching his baseball team this year and Ryan asked if my daddy is coaching. I don't know my daddy" Noah explained. Olivia could feel her heart sinking down into her stomach. She knew that he would start asking questions eventually, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"I promise that I will tell you all about your daddy when you are older, but for right now I can tell you that you are loved so much more than you will ever know. I am so lucky to have you Noah, and I am thankful for that every day". She hugged him, squeezing him as tight as she could without hurting him.

"I love you momma".

"I love you too my sweet boy". She held him for just a moment longer, knowing that she would take this chance to move on without going to far into his past. "So I actually wanted to talk to you about this whole baseball thing. I know you really wanted to do tee ball this spring but we just don't have the time for that this year".

Noah pouted, but didn't say anything.

"However, I have a friend that used to be a professional baseball player that wants to teach you everything you need to know so you can join the rest of your classmates next year. How does that sound?"

"A professional baseball player wants to teach me?" Noah squealed. "That's so cool!"

Olivia chuckled, relieved that he was excited. She was excited too, but for a completely different reason. Noah had several men in his life, but not a man that was taking the time out of his busy schedule to be a role model for him. Growing up without a father was hard for her, so she wanted her son to have a man to look up to, even if that was his baseball coach.

"Alright my sweet boy, bath, teeth, then bed."

 _I struggled with where to cut off this chapter, but this wound up seeming like the best place._


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello my lovely peeps! I apologize for how choppy and jumpy this chapter is. I kept reworking it but I couldn't get it to gel. Thank you for the support and I promise to get to more Benstone goodness soon! I had to throw in a little bit for my sunken Barson ship. Have a great day!_

 **Two Days Later**

Olivia sat on the couch in Peter's office, waiting for him to come back from arraignment. She had some time to kill so she was shopping for Noah's baseball gear on her phone. The problem was, she had no idea what to get. Thousands of different gloves and thousands of different bats overwhelmed her.

"Sorry that took so long. The defense tried to turn it into the trial and it was a mess" Peter explained as he set his briefcase down on his desk. He turned so see Olivia too busy staring at her phone to answer him.

"Everything alright?" He questioned.

"Yeah sorry. I'm trying to figure out what glove to get Noah. He's still little so I could probably get anything and that'd be good for now right?"

The expression on Peter's face was definitely an amused one.

"What?" Olivia pressed, wanting to know what she said that was so funny.

"Oh nothing" Peter said shaking his head.

"Spit it out".

Peter sat down next to her, looking at her phone over her shoulder. "Oh Liv". He scrolled a few times and chuckled.

"What?" She asked once more. She felt a flutter in her chest and she didn't know if it was because of her insecurity or the fact that this felt oddly normal.

"First of all, these gloves are all way too big for Noah. Second, how do I put this nicely... They're crap".

Olivia felt herself blushing, embarrassed that she didn't know. Peter immediately noticed and tried to back track.

"Well I'm speaking from a professional standpoint. For a child starting tee ball I'm sure one of those would be fine".

"Or maybe you can just pick out his gear and I'll pay" Olivia offered with a smile.

Peter nodded, agreeing that it was a good idea. "We can all go to this shop I know tomorrow before practice if that's alright with you?"

Olivia thanked him and was relieved that she had one less thing to handle, but at the same time she couldn't help but wonder if she'd feel like this more often if Noah had a father to share the load with.

"So what's your plan for tomorrow?" Olivia questioned, wondering what they were going to start with.

"I'm going to do what any good coach would do and start with whipping you guys into shape an-"

"You guys? Meaning me too?" Olivia interrupted.

Peter had a wicked smile on his face. "Absolutely. Don't you want this to be a bonding experience with your son?" He knew exactly how to force her hand.

"Yes but isn't it still bonding with him if I'm just there watching?"

"Nope. Full experience or nothing Benson".

Olivia rolled her eyes, trying not to show that she found this whole situation quite entertaining. "If I must".

"Oh you must" Peter chuckled.

"I'll see you tomorrow at 11 then" She said as she gathered her stuff and left, feeling lighter than she had in a long time.

 **The Next Morning**

Olivia felt a weight on her stomach and it was heavy enough to keep her from breathing in. She opened her eyes to find her son's only an inch away, excitedly staring at her.

"Time to get up momma! We have to get ready for baseball practice!"

Thankfully he moved off of her, letting her breathe. "Noah we have two hours until Peter comes to get us" Olivia whined, turning over to try and get a few more minutes of sleep. "Lay down with me" She said as her arms opened to hold him.

"Mommaaaa. Athletes don't cuddle" Noah told her as he climbed off of her bed.

"Have you ever asked one?" Olivia challenged as she sat up.

"No, but I'll ask Peter!"

She couldn't wait to hear his response to that question. Or any of Noah's questions really. When Barba first met Noah he was completely thrown off by the inquisitive nature of young children. It didn't take him long to get used to it but the beginning was still fun for her.

Barba.

She hadn't let herself think about him in a long time. She missed what they had...She missed him. Of course she understood him leaving his job, but her? How could he say all of those beautiful things, how she added the color to his once black and white world, and leave?

What if Peter gets close and suddenly bails? Noah wouldn't be able to understand that. As a mother it was her job to protect him from heartache and pain. Peter could hate coaching him and change his mind completely. What would she do then?

At the same time, what evidence did she have that Peter was like the rest? It wasn't fair of her to assume that he would leave. It was time for her to turn off her brain and let it she had to get up and make breakfast, which she much rather do than the impending workout.

Two Hours Later

"Noah please brush your teeth. Peter will be here any minute!" Olivia yelled as she tied her sneakers. A firm knock on the door made her jump. She tried to get up so fast that she tripped over her own feet and fell.

"Ugh" She groaned as she pushed herself up. "Just come in" She called, using her coffee table to push herself up.

"Hey Liv-what happened?" Peter offered his hand and pulled her up with the slightest trace of a smile on his face.

"I tripped over my own feet. No big deal".

"Coach" Noah cheered, running down the hall.

"Noah!"

Olivia felt a flutter in her chest as her coworker picked up her son and tickled him. It was like they had been the best of friends for years.

"Alright team Benson, let's go get your gear and get started".

There was that flutter again. Team Benson? How cute!

It took about forty five minutes to get all of their gear, which Peter paid for much to her dismay.

She kept replaying the scene in her head, mostly out of embarrassment.

" _I'm the one that picked the expensive stuff, so I should pay" He insisted. "You can pay next year"._

" _How about I pay for lunch after practice?" She said in a much flirtier tone than she had intended._

" _Deal" Peter said without missing a beat. "Now who's paying for dinner?" He joked (?) with a wink._

 _At least she took it as a joke._

 _Did he mean it as a joke?_

"Olivia! Did you hear what I said?" Peter asked, knowing damn well that she didn't. They had just arrived at the park and set their belongings down, but she hadn't realized that Peter was already getting down to business.

"Uh...You said we're all here to have fun and learn?" Olivia tried with a big grin.

Noah giggled while Peter gave her a stern look.

"Well , you just earned yourself an extra lap around the pond at the end of practice".

Her jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

Peter was enjoying this way too much. "I'm your coach, and as your coach I need my players to respect and trust me. Also, congratulations on earning yourself an extra two laps for questioning my methods".

Noah was laughing uncontrollably while Olivia mouthed "I'll kill you" to Peter.

"Want to make it three ?"

"No" She sighed. "Can we get this started please?"

"Now that I have _both_ of your attention, I think we should start with some stretches. Then we'll start working on batting with the tee. Sound good?"

"Yes coach!" Noah excitedly agreed.

It was a much easier day than Peter had made it out to be and for that she was relieved. Practice had gone great so far. Noah was enjoying himself, and she was taking note of how he should stand and what to keep an eye on incase they ever practiced alone. After two hours they decided to call it a day since Noah was getting tired. Olivia was grabbing their stuff to leave when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned around to look at Peter fully, trying to contain her smile when he placed a hand on each shoulder.

"Noah is a natural Liv. He's picking everything up so fast. I know we didn't work on throwing and catching yet, but I wanted to break in the glove some so it's not as stiff not week".

It was nice to hear that he thought the same thing that she had. "More importantly to me, it seems like he had a blast".

Peter leaned in closer, close enough to whisper in her ear. "I had a blast too...And it's about to get even better".

Her heart was pounding now. "Why?" She dared to ask despite the obvious quiver in her voice.

"You still have two laps around the pond Benson. Go".

"Fine, while I'm running I think Noah has some questions about athletes for you, don't you Noah?"

"Oh yeah! Do athletes cuddle?"

To say she was enjoying the confused look on Peter's face was an understatement.

"Have fun" She sang, jogging away to do her laps.

 _I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters._


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello my lovely peeps! I have a confession to make. I know absolutely nothing about baseball. I have never played it (or softball), watched it, been interested in it, anything. I had to watch a few youtube videos to write this chapter. That being said, I apologize if anything is inaccurate!_

 _I appreciate all of the support and feedback so much!_

 _Have a great day! XOXO_

 **The next week**

"Alright recruits, this week we're going to work on throwing. Do you think you can handle it?" Peter asked.

"Yes coach!" Noah yelled, ready to learn some more.

"How about you Olivia?"

"Yes coach" She said in a far less enthused tone. This is where she really needed to pay attention. She had no idea what the correct form was for throwing and she knew Peter would be frustrated if she didn't correct Noah when they were alone.

"I need you both to watch me very closely" He instructed as he picked up a ball. "Be ready to catch this one Liv".

He wouldn't throw as hard as he did when he was a pro, right?

"There are three steps we're going to go through here. We're going to call the first step "break". All you're going to do for this one is put your hand in your glove, grabbing the ball. Everybody got that so far?"

Olivia could see Noah mimicking the motions out of the corner of her eye, and she could only hope he was that good in school.

"Next we're going to bring our arm down and around, making sure we check our knuckles and adjust accordingly. The goal is to have our fingers look like bunny ears on the ball. That will give us better control".

He nodded at Olivia, letting her know to raise up her glove to catch his throw.

"The last step is to point our elbow at our target. Noah, you see how your mom is holding up her glove? Her glove is my target. Once you get really good at this, she should barely have to move to catch the ball, if she has to move at all. We're going to look over our elbow at our target and then we're just going to throw".

Olivia flinched when he let go of the ball, but calmed down the second it landed in her glove. She didn't have to move at all. He threw it just hard enough to get to her. In fact, she barely even felt it.

"Alright Liv, now throw it back".

She did each step exactly as instructed, surprised that she had only missed his glove by a few inches.

"Very nice Liv. I'm going to throw it to you Noah, try to catch it. Just keep your eye on the ball and make sure you keep your other hand right by your glove so the ball doesn't bounce out and hit you in the face".

Much to her surprise, he caught it with ease.

"Did you see that coach? I caught it!" Noah cheered.

"Very nice Noah! Now throw it back to me". Peter took a step forward, expecting the throw to come up short. "Can you tell me the steps?"

"First is break" He said as he got in to position. "Then we go up and around".

Peter jogged over to him and put his arm into position. "It's down and around, but you're doing great so far". He ran back over to his spot, ready to catch the ball.

"Then we point our elbow at our target and throw".

Noah threw the ball right to Peter's glove, shocking both adults.

"Way to go Noah" Olivia congratulated.

"That was awesome bud" Peter said, running back over to give him a high five. "I think your mom could use some more work on it though, so why don't you two partner up and I'll go get us some waters". He winked at Olivia, trying to tell her that he was only teasing. They were both doing great so far.

As Peter made his way over to a vendor nearby, Olivia took the opportunity to see how Noah was liking his practice.

"So Noah, do you think that working with Peter is fun?" Her next throw was a bit off, forcing him to chase after the ball.

"Coach is a lot of fun! What about you momma?" He threw another one perfectly to her glove and she had to admit that it seemed like he had a knack for it.

"I'm having a lot of fun". And she was. It was great to spend quality time with Noah, and it was nice seeing Peter outside of work.

"Looking good guys" Peter complemented with his hands full of water bottles. "Let's take a drink break and if you're up for it Noah we can start working on fielding. That means you'll have to hit Liv. Do you think you can handle that, or do you need me to teach you quickly?"

She knew he was being smart with her, but she decided to have some fun with it. "Oh yeah, you need to teach me quickly. I'd never be able to figure it out on my own".

"If you insist". He raised the tee as high as it could go, which was only up to her knees. Olivia grabbed the bat and held it left over right, knowing that that was the wrong way and stood up completely straight next to the tee.

"Am I doing it right?"

Peter chuckled and shook his head. "You are a piece of work Benson". He stood behind her, reaching around her to first fix her hands. "Dominant on top" He clarified, referring to her hands.

"That's the way one would expect it" She quipped.

Her cheeks turned bright red. Did she really say that out loud?

Unable to control himself, Peter laughed. Loudly. "That's a lap Benson".

"It was worth it". _That's right, play it off like you meant to say it._

He managed to regain his composure and continue with his instruction. "Now bend your knees a little".

"One again, exactly how one would expec-"

"Shut up" He interrupted, trying not to laugh again. "Make that two".

She didn't know what was up with her today, but they both seemed to be enjoying it. It was obvious that she was starting to let her guard down, but she didn't expect that to be the first thing to come out.

"Step with your front foot and swing, keeping your eyes on the ball and following through with your hips". She could feel her skin tingling under his touch, but she had to ignore it. He guided her arms, helping her to keep her form. The ball soared through the air, flying over the fence for the park.

"Oops" She said with a shocked look on her face. To be fair, maybe they shouldn't be facing the fence to begin with. That and they should have brought more than one ball.

"Well it looks like I have to get balls this week" Peter deadpanned, knowing exactly what he said.

Olivia busted up laughing, not caring how childish that made her look. "I know, I know. Three laps. I don't care. I couldn't hold it in". She wiped away the tears that had formed from laughing too hard.

Noah looked back and forth between the two adults, completely lost. "What's so funny?" He asked Peter.

"It's nothing bud, your mom is in a very silly mood. That's all. Why don't you help me clean up while your mom does her run?"

Her legs felt like jello when she was finished, telling her just how out of shape she had gotten over the years. She grabbed her water bottle and took a swig, trying to ease the slight pain in her chest. It took her a moment to catch her breath. When she was ready, Peter handed her their gloves and bat so he could lift Noah up to sit on his shoulders and carry the tee.

"Pizza?" Peter offered, knowing that they were ready for lunch.

"PIZZA" Noah yelled, throwing his fist in the air.

"My son has spoken, pizza it is".

Peter carried a sleeping Noah up to Olivia's apartment, doing his best not to wake him up . They had tuckered him out and his belly was full, the perfect recipe for a nice afternoon nap.

"You can put him down on his bed" Olivia said as she carefully took off his sneakers.

He came back a moment later with a smile on his face. "You have a really great kid LIv. Thank you for letting me teach him".

He was thanking her?

"You're amazing with him Peter. I was actually worried that you wouldn't be able to break things down enough for him, but I had no reason to worry. He looks up to you, and I can't thank you enough for that".

"Like I said before, he's a great kid...And you're a great mom".

There was that fluttered again.

"That means a lot to me".

They stood there, just looking at each other for a second before Peter cleared his throat.

"Well I guess I should get going".

Olivia flopped down on her couch as soon as the door shut, burying her face in a throw pillow.

She was crushing on the coach.

Hard.

 _I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters._


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello my lovely peeps! I apologize for taking a few days to update. I had a general idea about of where to go but I kept changing my mind. Hope you enjoy and have a great day! XOXO_

 _I don't own Law and Order SVU or the characters_

 **One Month Later**

Olivia's legs were sore. Actually no. That was too nice of a way to describe it. Olivia's legs were screaming at her, begging her to never catch again. She had been walking with bit of a limp all day, and her right ankle was definitely a bit swollen. With each step it felt like she was being stabbed with a hundred tiny knives, but she would be fine.

Due to Noah's natural ability to learn the game, Peter decided that they could get away with scrapping the tee altogether and let Noah get used to someone pitching to him. Originally Peter had let her try to pitch, but she couldn't get the ball to him, or if she did, it was way too high for Noah. They had to switch positions, leaving her sore and stiff two days later.

Now that she was thinking about it, maybe that wasn't even what made her sore.

They had also worked on fielding on Saturday. Which meant she had to bat while Peter pitched and played basically every base so Noah could learn first base. He had told her not to go easy on them, so if she hit a good one she had to run. She had a few decent ones that got her to first base and then she'd go back to the plate. Then she hit one really far.

" _Run Liv, run!" Peter yelled. Noah chased after the ball, running as fast as his little legs would carry him. She rounded first base (one of those rubber ones), secretly hoping that Noah would hurry up with that ball._

" _Come on Noah, throw it in!" Peter yelled the second Noah picked up the ball._

 _Olivia was determined to get a home run now, just to piss off Peter. She picked up the pace, blowing right through second. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Noah's throw came up short, giving her just enough time to get to home._

 _Or so she thought._

 _Peter ran to the ball, momentarily forgetting that this was supposed to be a learning experience for Noah. He ran to the plate, blocking it completely, but it was too late for Olivia to stop at that point. She tried her best to slide, but it turned out to be more of a falling on her butt while Peter dropped down, using his whole body to block her from the plate._

 _She groaned in pain but it quickly turned into a laugh. She could feel Peter laughing too._

 _He was on top of her._

 _Their eyes locked for a brief second, and maybe it was because of the man on top of her, but her breath was taken away. He practically jumped up as soon as he realized how close they were. He helped her to sit up and she groaned again._

" _I am so sorry Liv. I guess I got caught up in the moment and... I'm sorry if I hurt you"._

 _Olivia shook her head. "It's fine. That was a lot of fun"._

She suppressed a laugh, trying to ignore the look that Fin was giving her. Peter waltzed into the squadroom with several files in his hand and that stone cold poker face that she had seen multiple times.

That face never came with good news. In fact, it was usually quite the opposite.

"Peter, can I help you?" She asked carefully, well aware of the eyes and ears around her.

"Do you want to tell me how I'm supposed to get Skinnard behind bars for the rest of his life with this?" He said, handing her the file. "Anyone that's ever attended a single class in law school can get this confession thrown out, the victim identified the wrong man, twice, and there is ZERO D.N.A. linking him to the crime scene. How the hell am I supposed to convince a jury that this man raped her?"

Someone was in a mood.

"We'll take care of it".

To be honest, it seemed like something else entirely was bothering him.

"Can we talk in your office for a moment?"

All of the eyes that had been on them suddenly turned away, pretending to go back to work.

They wordlessly walked into her office, closing the door behind them. Peter took a seat in one of the chairs across from her desk, so she sat in her usual chair. She tried not to limp, but she knew he saw.

"I'm sorry for coming in and being an ass. Today is eight months since Pam died" Peter started.

She knew that, but hadn't planned on saying anything until he acknowledged it first.

"Every other month I've spent this day alone, drinking until I can't remember and...Would it possible for me to see Noah tonight? Maybe go to the park or just hang out and play. I'll be okay if not I just thought-""

"Shut up. Dinner is at six and since it's a school night I'd prefer if we could keep the party at home. If you guys have too much energy then I guess we'll just have to go to the park" Olivia said with an understanding smile. She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you".

She stood up, limping over to the door and making her way back into the squadroom. Peter calling her name stopped her in her tracks.

"I hurt you, didn't I?"

Olivia shook her head. His question had drawn Fin's attention, but they didn't know that.

"It's my fault. If I had stayed at third base you wouldn't have had to slam into to me like that" Olivia explained.

"What?" Fin mouthed to Amanda, who also looked shocked. They were talking about that at work? In front of everybody?

"Well I should have gotten off of you and checked on you quicker" Peter said, kicking himself.

"There's no way that they're talking about that" Amanda whispered to Fin. "We must be missing something".

"It's not like you were on top of me for that long".

Fin busted up laughing, bringing their attention to him. "Ok, you can't be talking about what it sounds like you're talking about".

Peter and Olivia looked at eachother. "We're talking about playing baseball in the park yesterday. I tried to get a homerun and Peter stopped me at the plate. We got a little too into it, that's all" Olivia explained.

"You play baseball on the weekends?" Amanda asked, still a little confused about what was happening.

"I coach Noah. I'm teaching him the basics so he'll be ready for little league next year".

Amanda's brows shot up. "Could you work with Jessie? I'd love for her to play softball, but she could still use help with the basics".

Peter looked at Olivia, who was already looking expectantly at him. Selfishly, she wanted him to say no, that it was first come first serve. He wasn't going to though, and she knew that because if she was in his position she wouldn't either. How could he say no to her when he was already working with Noah? He didn't want to offend anybody and it was all for the kids anyway.

"Absolutely. So Saturday's around 11 work for you?"

Amanda nodded. "I'll be on call but usually I'm fine. Thank you so much".

Olivia limped back into her office, trying to ignore the pain in her ankle.

"Are you going to let me check that ankle or not?" Peter asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Will you leave me alone afterwards?" She rolled up her pant leg, not waiting for an answer.

Peter gasped, but quickly calmed himself down.

"I've seen my fair share of injuries. That is one hundred percent broken. How the hell have you been walking on that?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I think I'd know if it was broken".

"Obviously not because it is" He mumbled. "Come on, we have to go get this checked out".

"I promise you that I'm fine" she lied while standing up, doubling over in pain.

"Yeah ok, let's go".

—-

"Hey Lucy" Olivia greeted as she entered her apartment. Peter was behind her, holding her purse and papers from the hospital.

"What happened?" Lucy gasped.

"Peter broke my ankle yesterday so I now have these lovely crutches and this super trendy cast".

"Hey, that cast is only a temporary one. The doctor might decide to give you a boot" Peter reminded.

"Do you need me to stay and help with Noah?" Lucy offered.

"We got it" Peter insisted.

"I know you normally work until five, but if you want to head out early that's fine with me". It was only a little after two, and they'd have to go get Noah, but Lucy deserved it.

"Are you sure?"

"Go on, go spend some time with your friends" Olivia told the young girl. If she could give that girl the world, she would. This was the least she could do.

Peter moved the coffee table so Olivia could get to the couch. He sat down next to her, leaving plenty of space between them.

"This isn't the first ankle I've broken" Peter started. "When Pam and I were little, I left my scooter on the porch, I'm talking right outside the door. She ran out to talk to her friends, got her foot caught under it and tripped. Her ankle snapped. They had to do surgery to reset some of the bones. She had a cast for the whole summer. The only reason she forgave me was because this guy Bobby signed her cast and he was 'so cute'" He said in his best girly voice. She was happy that he was talking about her, and what was even better was he smiled while he did.

Olivia chuckled. "Will you feel better if you sign my cast?"

"No, no. The moral of the story is that _you_ will feel better if a cute guy signs your cast".

"So do you want to sign my cast?" She blurted out.

So smooth Olivia.

Peter had that devilish grin on his face. "Did you just call me cute,Lieutenant?"

Backtrack, don't own up to it.

"Well, it would make me feel better if you signed it".

Nice save.

"Which means you think I'm cute".

Shit. How could he be so open about this?

"I think you're cute too".

Their eyes were locked, and she wanted to be brave. "There's a marker in the drawer next to the sink".

Not what she meant by brave, but good enough for now. When did she get so bad at this?

Marker in hand, he carefully lifted her foot, putting it in his lap. He held onto her calf with one hand to keep her still.

"All done". He looked proud of himself.

"HAGS? What is HAGS?" Olivia questioned.

"HAGS? It stands for have a great summer. That's what Bobby wrote on Pam's cast. Oh wait, I forgot something". He carefully scribbled something under his first line.

It was a heart.

 _Terrible place to end. I know._.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hello my lovely peeps! I am so sorry for taking so long with this update! TOO MANY CHOICES. I wrote and rewrote this like five times. I appreciate the interest and support so much and I really hope you like it. This story is already a bit longer than I originally planned so I think it's time to move things forward some. Thank you so much and have a great day!_

 _I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters._

"I think that was the part Pam was excited about" Peter mused. "It's so weird to think that story never meant much to me until…"

Olivia stayed quiet, letting him work through his grief in his own way. She could tell him, and had told him dozens of times before that it wasn't his fault, but he wasn't going to believe her.

"Anyway, we should get ready. We have to pick up Noah" Peter reminded her, as if she would forget.

"Peter, I can handle it on my own. It's only two blocks away".

He stared at her for a moment.

"You've finally lost it Benson".

"I have not, I just don't need you giving me pity" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's not really pity. Think of it as me doing a favor for a friend whose ankle I happened to break. I can either go get Noah by myself or I can drive us, but I won't let you hobble for two blocks while I do nothing. I was raised better than that surprisingly. Take your pick".

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll call Noah's school and let them know that you're going to pick him up. You'll need to go to the office and show them your license".

"Do you need anything while I'm out?" Peter asked, standing by the door.

"Nope. Thank you so much Peter".

He came back up to the couch, putting on hand on the arm of it, essentially cornering her. It felt like he was going to lean down to kiss her, but he just kind of...Stopped? He stood over her for a moment before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Be back in a bit" He mumbled, silently kicking himself.

"Yeah. Be careful".

She bit back her smile until the door was shut, grinning ear to ear once she was alone. He kissed her. Sure, it was only on the forehead but he initiated it and that had to count for something, right? On top of that, he was being a total doll and even picking up Noah for her. Or maybe he was just repaying this debt that he felt he had.

 _Don't think too far into it._

All she could do now was sit and wait, or try to get changed into something more comfortable.

Peter stood in the office with his hands in his pockets, awkwardly waiting for Noah's teacher to bring him down. It had been years since he had stepped foot in a school, and he had never been in this one before, but it still took him right back to his childhood. There was something about the scribbles from second graders hung on the walls and the smell of crayons and that awful fluorescent lighting that made memories flood his mind.

"Coach!"

"Noah!" He cheered, squatting down and scooping Noah up. "How was school today buddy?"

"I got a hundred on my spelling test!"

"A hundred and then the bonus word" The petite brunette woman added. "Hi, I'm , Noah's teacher. You must be Noah's-"

"Friend" Peter filled in. "Peter Stone". They shook hands awkwardly since Peter was still balancing Noah on his hip.

"Are you a friend that we're going to be seeing more often?" She pressed.

Peter didn't know how to answer that. "We'll have to wait and see" He replied. "Any homework?"

She shook her head. "He finished his assignment in class".

"Alright bud, let's go bug your mom".

Peter carried Noah, hearing something about Olivia being a lucky girl as they passed.

Here's the thing though, he was the lucky one.

Olivia had to explain what happened to her as soon as Noah walked through the door. Her sweet boy had been glued to her side the entire afternoon, constantly checking on her. It amazed Peter that even at such a young age, Noah was just as caring and attentive as Olivia. Noah waited on her hand and foot, with minimal help from Peter.

The night went by quickly, a little too quickly for Peter's liking. They same that time flies when you're having fun, and that must be true because one minute they were playing with Legos on the floor and the next he was carrying Noah to bed. The Bensons had been a splendid distraction for him and he was appreciative of that, but the problem was the night time. Something about the moon, the loneliness, and the guilt made him lose control. He stood in the doorway of Noah's room, watching the steady rise and fall of chest.

"You okay?" Olivia asked, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah...Why aren't you using the crutches?"

"They annoy me. You want a drink? I have a bottle of wine" She offered. "Or not" She added when he didn't answer.

"You don't know me. You don't know me and you let me into your life, into your home...I broke your ankle. I hurt you and you continue to let me in and witness this wonderful kid learning and growing as if I am worthy of that".

"Well, I think that you are more than worthy" Olivia confessed. "As for not knowing you, that's an easy fix. How about a game?" She suggested, hoping it would help to bring him out of his own mind.

"Sure" He agreed. He watched as she stepped with her casted foot, nearly tripping in the process. "Good grief woman" He groaned. She yelped when he effortlessly scooped her up, carrying her to the couch. "Please use your crutches. Now what game?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

"Truth or dare, unless you would prefer would you rather or never have I ever?"

"Actually, never have I ever sounds like fun. We could crack open that wine and make it a drinking game" He proposed, loving the excited smile on her face.

"It's on".

He watched as she folded her legs, casted foot on top. It was hard not to look too much at her. She was wearing a pair of pajama shorts and an old NYPD sweatshirt and he knew that meant that she had become comfortable enough with him to wear that around him. He quickly opened the bottle and grabbed two glasses, only questioning if that this was a good idea briefly. Tonight he wouldn't be out drinking alone, so he should be fine.

"Usually I am a fan of the cheap shots like 'never have I ever been a man' but the point of this is to get to know each other more so try to make it personal, okay?" She requested and he easily agreed.

"Alright, I'll go first. Never have I ever lived outside of New York".

Peter rolled his eyes and took a drink. "I think that was still a cheap shot Lieutenant but fine. Never have I ever worked the same job for more than a decade".

Olivia took her sip. "Never have I ever had a father".

It was weird to say that so early on, but over the years she had grown more and more comfortable telling her story. Peter wouldn't look at her any differently, and she knew that.

"You don't have a father?"

She shook her head. "I only found out who he was well after he passed away".

"I'm sorry".

She shrugged. "Don't be. My father was a rapist".

"And you-"

"Yeah".

She knew that he got it.

They played until the bottle was mostly empty, laughing and reminiscing for the most part. Olivia wasn't sure when exactly it happened, but at some point things took a turn to the flirty side, and she certainly wasn't complaining.

They had made themselves more comfortable as the game played out. Peter had taken off his suit jacket and tie, and even unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. Olivia had pulled her hair up in a messy bun and draped the throw over blanket.

It was the last round and Peter's turn. Out of the blue her heart started to pound and she felt like she was going to throw up. It's like her body was trying to tell her something. It had to be the alcohol.

The pull that kept their eyes locked was back.

"Can we switch to truth or dare?" He asked out of nowhere. He moved closer to her, grabbing her glass and setting it down on the coffee table.

"Sure. Truth or dare".

"Truth" He chose easily.

"Why did you draw that heart on my cast?"

Even she hadn't expected her to say that.

"Because it felt right".

And the pull was getting stronger.

"Truth or dare Liv?"

Both options had their merit, but she wasn't sure she could think straight long enough to answer whatever truth he asked. At the same time, any dare would be a thousand times more difficult with her foot in the cast.

"Truth" She blurted out, clearly panicked.

"Would it be okay if I kissed you?"


	7. Chapter 7

_Hello my lovely peeps! I have decided that this particular story will be done in a few chapters. However, I have two spin offs planned! Thank you all for your support and I really hope that you continue to enjoy it. Have a great day!_

 _I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters._

Olivia felt herself nod. She wanted this. He wanted this. Why not? Peter carefully tucked a rogue strand of her behind her ears, sending a shiver down her spine in the process.

"My hair is a mess right now, isn't it?" She groaned making him chuckle.

"You look beautiful. You always do".

"Are you going to kiss me or not?" She teased, ready to crawl out of her skin from the anticipation.

"I remember asking you if it'd be okay if I did, not saying that I was going to".

"Then you no longer have permission to" She said, crossing her arms. "Your turn. Truth or dare".

"Dare" He confidently answered, thinking he knew where this was going.

"I dare you to shut up and let this happen".

She placed a hand on each side of his face, pulling him to meet her lips. She could feel him smiling but it quickly dissipated as he relaxed and kissed her back, more eager than anyone had before. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.

He broke off the kiss and she immediately missed it.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that" He whispered into her ear. It was like a dam broke and every ounce of pent up desire flooded them and it was practically impossible to hold back. Peter began trailing open-mouth kisses down her neck. She tilted her head back to give him better access and ran her fingers through his hair, trying to keep herself from exploring his entire body.

"How long?"

He stopped his previous ministrations and rested his forehead against hers.

"Remember when you told me that you hoped I suck?"

She leaned back a bit so she could look him in the eyes, just to make sure that he wasn't joking.

"There's no way that you wanted to kiss me then. I was awful to you".

Peter shook his head. "I was working for the exact opposite of what you wanted. That's completely natural Liv. Besides, when you told me that I wouldn't know a good guy if he fell from the sky and landed at my feet...That made me really evaluate my life. You were right. I wasn't a good guy. I was only worried about myself and I cannot thank you enough for coming into my life. You changed my life. Once I realized how big of an impact you made on me, I knew that I needed more".

"People don't change like that…" She countered. She would know, she had tried to change people her entire life and had failed each and every time.

"Well, maybe you saw the good in me and brought it to light".

An alarm echoed through the living room, making them jump. "Can you grab my phone for me please? I left it on the counter". It would be much quicker if he and his two working feet handled it.

"Why do you have an alarm for nine thirty at night?" He asked as he handed her the phone.

"It's my 'go to bed now or be exhausted in the morning' alarm". She could tell by his expression that he was amused.

"I'll take that as my cue to leave". He bent down and kissed her on the forehead and then again on the lips. "Thank you for tonight everything tonight".

She wanted to tell him to stop, that she didn't want him to go. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him back over to her.

"I'm glad you don't suck" blurted out of her mouth before she could stop it. Peter sat back down next to her, grinning like an idiot.

"I'm glad you don't suck either, I mean for a girl" He bumped his shoulder into hers, smirking when she did it back. "In fact, you're actually pretty cool".

They were acting like middle schoolers after their very first slow dance, and it was thrilling. Each sentence revealed a little bit more, but not enough to end the game. It was her turn again.

"Sometimes I wish that I could hate the same way I hated you the day we met".

Now was that an offensive or defensive move?

"It's been hard to let my walls down...but in an effortless way" She tried to explain. "I know that doesn't make sense".

Peter shrugged. "We get each other". He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him a bit more.

This was more comfortable than it should be. She felt his hand moving in small circles and slowly make its way up until he was running his fingers through her hair. She could fall asleep like this.

"I should probably get going. We both have early mornings and you look exhausted".

She smiled when he kissed her on the cheek. "I thought that we were past this" She teased.

"No one said that I was done Benson".His lips closed over hers, taking her breath away. "I think I can get used to this" she sighed.

The next morning was hectic. Noah refused to get out of bed and Olivia was a few minutes late to her appointment. On the bright side, the doctor confirmed her suspicions, the break wasn't as bad as it had seemed. Six weeks with the boot to start and then they'd see from there. Her phone had been blowing up the entire time with updates from their newest case.

"Ok, ok. I'm on my way in now. Call Stone and see if he can get the warrant. Ok, bye" She sighed. Out of all of the commotion, she was surprised that she hadn't received a single text from Peter.

Twenty minutes later she was walking into the squadroom, coffee in hand, ready to get to work.

"How's your foot feeling?" Carisi asked.

"I feel fine. I still have to get used to it though. Rollins can you brief me?" She requested, gesturing for her to walk with her.

Olivia unlocked her office door, realizing that it hadn't been locked to begin with. "What the".

Amanda shrugged. "I didn't see anyone go in, but I didn't get here until quarter after seven".

Olivia pushed open the door, smiling ear to ear. A huge, beautiful bouquet of flowers sat in a glass vase in the middle of her desk.

"Sunflowers and roses? Nice. Such an underrated combo" Amanda complimented. "Someone has the hots for you".

Olivia tossed her bag onto the couch, going over to her desk to read the note.

 _My dearest Olivia,_

 _I visited Pam this morning and saw the flowers you had left there._

She had left them there two days ago.

 _I cannot thank you enough for last night. I can't wait to kiss you again. How does a proper date on Saturday night sound?_

 _XO,_

 _Peter_

And for a moment, all of the stress of the day vanished.

"I'm going to go back to my desk" Rollins mumbled, realizing that Olivia was in her own little world.

 _Ok, you can call Peter, but then you have to get to work!_ She told herself.

"Good morning beautiful" He greeted as soon as he answered the phone.

"Good morning handsome" She said in a sing-song voice. Olivia bit her lip, trying not to let her nerves show. "I love the flowers".

"I'm glad you do. So, Saturday night?"

"Sounds fantastic". She paced the length of her office. "I can't wait".

Why did he have to make her feel like a teenager?

"Do you want to sneak away at lunch and grab a bite to eat?"

She could tell that he was eager too. "I can't today, but maybe we could meet up after work?"

"Let me know when you get done"

They said their goodbyes and Oliva knew she had to one more thing. She snapped a picture of her flowers before moving them to the window sill.

Today was going to be a good day.


	8. Chapter 8

Olivia tried to stifle her smile as she folded Noah's clothes and carefully packed them into a bookbag. He would be spending the night at Aunt Amanda's since Lucy had her own plans on this beautiful Saturday night. The plan was simple, everyone would meet up at their normal practice spot at eleven. Olivia would be playing the bench and watching Billie until Al picks her up. When the kids were sufficiently pooped out they'd all head out to get pizza, and Amanda would take Noah from there.

Simple.

Easy.

"Mommy do you think Jessie will want to watch a movie with me? I want to watch Finding Dory tonight with Aunt Manda and Jessie" Noah said as he jumped up and down on the bed.

"I'm sure Aunt Manda and Jessie would _love_ to watch a movie with you tonight. Now you need to be careful before you wind up with a boot like me" She warned.

He jumped up one more time, kicking out his legs so that he landed on the bed on his butt. "So what are you doing while I'm at Aunt Manda's?" He asked as he happily kicked his legs.

 _Hopefully Peter_ was the first thought in her mind, making her smile even bigger. "Just some boring work stuff" She lied. She had already talked with Peter about whether or not they should tell Noah, and they both thought that he'd be more than happy. However, they agreed that they should have some alone time to date like normal people. Although normal was not a word that she'd use to describe them…

They'd tell him soon, just not right now.

"Go get dressed so we can head out".

"Coach!" Noah yelled as he let go of Olivia's hand, running full speed towards Peter. He dropped his bag as Peter crouched and picked him up, giving him a little spin before putting him down.

Olivia walked over to them, bending over to pick up her son's forgotten bag, stumbling a little because of the uneven surface of the grass against her boot. Instinctively, Peter reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned her attention to him and smiled, silently thanking him. Noah ran off again, this time to hug Jessie.

"Hey guys" Amanda greeted as she adjusted Billie so that she was on her hip. Noah ran up to her and hugged her legs, asking if he could give Billie a hug too. "Of course you can, just be careful" Amanda answered with a smile.

Olivia watched her son gently wrap his arms around Billie as she settled on the closest bench. Noah hadn't interacted with many younger kids, but she was always amazed at how well he handled himself around them. He was such a loving boy and sometimes it upset her that he wouldn't have the chance to be a big brother.

"Hi sweetie!" Olivia cooed as soon as Billie was set in her lap. "You've gotten so big!" She could feel Peter's eyes on her.

Peter cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles, deciding that it was time to get down to business.

"You must be Jessie" He said as he extended his hand to the young girl. She giggled and managed to wrap her hand around a few of his fingers, giving them a little shake. "My name is Peter, or you can call me Coach. Totally up to you. Are you ready to learn how to play baseball?"

"Yeah!" She yelled with a big smile.

"Then let's do , Jessie, and Amanda, we're going to make circle and stretch it out" He instructed, amused by the expression on Amanda's face. "Yes, I mean you too" He repeated before she could protest. Olivia simply shrugged when Amanda looked back at her with a scared look on her face.

"Just don't talk back and you'll be fine".

Once they were all stretched out, Peter chose to start with throwing and fielding today, mostly because they had forgotten to bring the Tee with them for batting.

It was an hour later and Al had picked up Billie, avoiding making eye contact with Amanda the entire time. To say that things were still tense between the two of them was an understatement. Luckily, Peter kept the kids busy by pretending to be a monster, but the kids chose to each take a leg and hold on as tight as they could.

"No fair" He jokingly whined, "There's two of you but only one of me".

The kids erupted into a fit of giggles when he started to walk around, lifting them with each step. Olivia chuckled when he bent over, struggling to catch his breath.

Amanda took the opportunity to sit down and relax for a moment, watching the scene before her.

"Nothing more attractive than a man appropriately interacting with kids" Amanda mused, hoping to get a reaction out of Olivia. "Especially when they're a good looking man" She added, setting the trap.

Whether she meant to or not, Olivia nodded in agreeance. At the same time, it looked like she was lost in her own little world. It was likely that she hadn't even heard Amanda.

Peter dramatically walked towards the bench, bringing the children to their mothers.

"I'm hungry" Jessie whined when Peter stopped.

"Well let's go get lunch then!"

Olivia and Amanda sat at a table with the kids while Peter went up to the counter to order their food. Noah and Jessie were happily coloring their placemats and talking about school, so Amanda took her opportunity to interrogate Olivia since her earlier trap didn't quite work.

"So, not that I mind at all, but why did you need me to watch Noah tonight?"

"Oh, uh…" She started, realizing that she couldn't use the work excuse that she used on Noah. "I have a date tonight" She whispered so that Noah wouldn't be able to hear.

Amanda grinned ear to ear, relishing in the fact that she was right. "You and Stone, huh? How is it?"

Olivia shook her head. "This will be our first date". She felt herself blushing like a middle schooler talking about their crush. "I don't even know where we're going. All he said was that it was going to be a late night. Amanda you can't tell anybody. We promised not to tell anyone and I-"

"Told her anyway" Peter interrupted with a knowing smile. "I'll forgive you this once, as long as you help me hand these out" He said, referring to all of their drinks that he was holding.

"You drive a hard bargain Counselor, but deal" Olivia laughed, grabbing the juices for the kids and passing them down the table.

It was 5:30 pm and Olivia was working on her finishing touches. Peter had told her to dress nice, but not too fancy, so she had opted for a simple, short-sleeved black dress. It complimented her frame well, but she felt like it was missing something. Normally she'd add some color with her shoes, but that wouldn't look right with her boot. Knowing that she didn't have much time, she put on a pair of pearl earrings and called it quits.

 _Maybe I should put my hair up?_ She thought to herself. Sure, the curls looked nice but maybe-

A sharp knock at the door stole her attention.

She walked over to the door, grinning ear to ear when she saw him through the peephole. Unlocking the door, she let him in.

"For you" He said as he handed her a box of chocolates, which just happened to be her absolute favorite ones.

"You shouldn't have" She said as she set them down on the coffee table so that she could wrap her arms around him. "Thank you". His lips pressed against hers in a gentle kiss, exactly what she had been looking forward to since they parted ways earlier.

"I bet you're dying to know where we're going" He said after a moment.

"I am! Does this mean you're going to put me out of my misery?"

"Well first is dinner. But then…" He chuckled at the look of anticipation on her face as he reached into his back pocket, handing her two tickets. "A little birdy told me that someone has always wanted to see a certain popular Broadway musical".

She gasped in shock and covered her mouth in disbelief. "Peter you didn't! These are so expensive…" She said as she examined them. "Oh my God these are box seats".

He had never seen her so excited before and it made him happy that he was the one that did it for her.

"I've wanted to see Hamilton for years. Peter, thank you". She gave him a big hug and a passionate kiss. No one had ever done anything like this for her before. "Please never spend this much money on me again".

He simply shook his head in amusement. "Whatever you say Benson".

"That was absolutely amazing! Even better than I could ever imagine" She raved as they walked hand in hand down the cluttered sidewalk of the Richard Rodgers Theatre, heading wherever the night was to take them. "If I thought I loved the soundtrack before...Actually seeing it changes everything".

"I've never been a fan of musicals, but that really was incredible. Lin Manuel Miranda is a genius".

They walked several blocks discussing their favorite parts, which in reality would be every part, simply enjoying each other's company. A sharp pain in Olivia's ankle brought her to a stop. She had tried to brush it off and walked a few more feet, but the pain became too great to go on.

"I'm fine" She insisted despite the obvious discomfort on her face whenever her weight shifted.

"You're in pain. I'll call a cab. How does a nightcap at my place sound?"

They had managed to behave the whole night and keep their hands to themselves, but now that they were alone in the elevator, it was a true test of patience. He had pulled her close to him and kissed her, but he didn't know how hard it would be to resist the urge to push her back against the wall and wrap her legs around his waist. Thankfully, the elevator dinged and the doors opened, breaking things up momentarily. After unlocking the door and opening it partially, he took her by surprise and scooped her up, carrying her through the doorway bridal style. He set her down on the couch, not assuming that she wanted to go any further tonight.

He turned to head towards the kitchen, but what stopped by her calling his name.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I was going to grab the wine".

She shook her head, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer until he sat down next to her. "I'd much rather you take me to bed".

 _AN: Hello my lovely peeps! I apologize for taking forever! Life happened and I had very little free time. Since Mariska loves Hamilton so much I felt like that had to be the date._


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hello my lovely peeps! Thank you for sticking around this long. I've decided that the next chapter will be the last one, and hopefully that'll be up by next Sunday. I hope you enjoy and have a great day!**

Olivia watched the steady rise and fall of Peter's chest as he slept. It was only six in the morning, and she had been awake for twenty minutes because the blinding rays of sun that came in from the floor to ceiling windows that made up the wall across from the bed. That wasn't the only thing that was keeping her awake. Her dreams consisted of memories of what they had done the night before, leaving her very ready to do it again. Peter was sleeping so peacefully that she couldn't wake him, despite how much her lower half wanted her to. She propped her elbow up on the pillow so she could hold her head up with her hand. Her eyes took in his form, smiling at how he had lazily draped the sheet over his hips, leaving little to the imagination. His eyes fluttered open, meeting hers immediately.

"Good morning beautiful" He said in a raspy, sleepy voice.

She leaned down, kissing him deeply. He deepened the kiss, bringing his hand up to tangle in her messy locks. He broke off the kiss, placing a hand on each of her hips so he could pull her on top of him.

It was almost ten when Olivia strolled into the living room wearing his button down shirt from the night before (and of course her boot). Their morning activities had worn her out enough that she fell back asleep, but apparently Petter hadn't. He was fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, making them breakfast. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. She planted a few kisses on his neck, only stopping when he joked about burning himself because she was distracting him.

"That smells good" She hummed.

"It's my grandmother's famous french toast. Want me to save a couple pieces for Noah? I know that you have to get him from Amanda soon" He offered, making her smile even bigger.

"That'd be nice. Maybe you could stop by later? I'm sure he'd love to hang out with his favorite coach later".

He turned off the burner and turned around so that they were face to face, managing to do so without disturbing her grip on him. "A full weekend of Bensons? Count me in".

She released a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding, relieved that he didn't think she was being clingy. Last night had gone so well and had been so much fun that she wanted more. Maybe he'd want to spend the night?

"Should I pack a bag?" He asked, answering her next question in the process. Thankfully, he seemed just as eager as she was.

"If you think you're up for it" She said, licking her lips. He picked her up and set her down on the counter, making her giggle.

Olivia arrived at Amanda's apartment at twelve-thirty, half an hour later than she had planned on getting there. Amanda opened the door with a knowing grin made Olivia very self conscious about the current state of her appearance. She had done her best to fix her hair and remove the remnants of last night's makeup, but she knew that her efforts were futile. She hadn't bothered to pack herself a bag for last night, so she was stuck wearing the dress she had worn for their date.

"The kids are in my room watching cartoons. I assume that your date went well" Amanda said as she led Olivia into the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Yes please" She sighed. She was wide awake, but so tired. "How was he?" She asked, hoping that Noah was on his best behavior for his Aunt Manda.

"He's a good kid, Liv. He played blocks with Jessie and then we watched Finding Dory and the kids had a sleepover in the living room".

Olivia felt herself smiling once again, but this time it was because she was thankful that Noah had something that she never did, cousins. Her mom didn't speak to her parents, and she was an only child. Serena had completely cut everyone out of her life after she was raped, leaving Olivia with a very lonely childhood. She couldn't think about it too long, or she'd ruin this wonderful mood she was in.

"Did he give you a hard time with dinner? That's been something we've been struggling with lately".

Amanda shook waved her hand, telling Olivia that dinner was so-so. "He didn't want to eat his asparagus but I told him that Coach told me that he made the big leagues by eating his vegetables" She explained with a proud smile. She held out her fist, waiting for Olivia to bump it, which she did.

"Parenting win" Olivia said in a sing-song voice. Being a single, working mom was hard, but the both of them were crushing it.

Noah came running out of Amanda's room, wrapping his arms around Olivia's legs. "Mommy! I missed you".

Olivia bent down and picked him up, grunting at the weight of him in her arms. "Oh my sweet boy, I missed you too" She sighed before kissing his cheek. "Ready to go home? Coach is coming over in a little bit". She tried to ignore the amused look on Amanda's face, but she blushed would take a while for her to get comfortable with talking about their relationship. Noah squirmed until she put him down, running back into the bedroom to grab his bag.

"Look Liv, I'll keep my mouth shut, but when do you plan on telling Fin and Carisi? I could really use the fifty each they're gonna owe me".

Olivia rolled her eyes, chuckling at the fact that her squad had made a bet over her and Peter getting together. "I'll talk to Peter about it later".

It was around two o'clock when Olivia made her way out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped up in a towel. She felt amazing after her scrubbing herself clean and wearing fresh clothes, but she knew that her happy mood had nothing to do with that. She stood in the hallway, facing her bedroom when she heard a familiar voice.

"Is there a reason you aren't wearing your boot Lieutenant?" Peter asked her, crossing his arms over his chest.

She looked over his shoulder to check on Noah, who was staring at the IPad in his hands. Knowing that he wouldn't see them, she leaned in and gave Peter a quick kiss on the lips. Noah wasn't supposed to let anybody in the apartment when she wasn't in the room, but he knew Peter, so she supposed she could let it slide this one time. "Relax Coach. I was just headed to my room to put it back on. I don't want to be benched for the whole season".

Peter chuckled, sending a shiver down her spine. She knew it was because they were in the blissful puppy love or honeymoon phase, but the fact that his laugh alone did that to her… Going back to work on Monday and pretending that nothing had happened was going to be hard.

Peter emerged from Noah's bedroom with a tired smile on his face. It had been a long day of playing, and he wasn't exactly a spring chicken anymore. Noah was a ball of energy, but he wasn't complaining. The boy was a good kid, and had warmed Peter's heart when he begged Olivia to let "Coach" read him his bed time story. Peter had happily agreed, insisting that he loved to read. She appreciated the fact that he was so willing to spend his time with her son and try to be a good example for him.

"Hey" Peter said, sitting down next to her on the couch. She snuggled into his side, letting out a content sigh. "You have such a good kid" He told her. Although it was a compliment, she couldn't help but feel a little sad. Peter was a natural with kids, and she knew that if he was given the opportunity, he'd be an amazing father. She refused to believe that she and Noah could ever be enough for him. As nice as this all felt right now, she couldn't let this get further and potentially hurt Noah down the line until she felt that he was certain that this is what he wanted.

"It's not too late" She said as she sat back up, distancing herself from him. "You can still go have kids of your own".

Peter shook his head in disbelief. "What's bringing this on?" He asked, trying to catch her train of thought at the next station. One minute they were snuggled on the couch and the next she was telling him that she'd understand if he wanted to go.

"You're so good with Noah...I just don't want you to feel like you're missing out on something".

He cupped her face, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "You're right. I'll just see myself out" He said, standing up and making his way over to the door. He turned back to look at her right when her jaw dropped, making him laugh. She was in total shock. "See? Even you don't believe that I could just walk away". He took his place on the couch next to her again, hissing in pain when she smacked him arm.

"That wasn't funny, Peter. I'm serious. _This_ is serious".

"I know, and I'm sorry" He apologized. "You want the truth? You Bensons make me very happy, and you will always be enough for me". She wasn't sure why, but she believed him. Maybe this would work after all. They sat in a comfortable silence for several moments, simply enjoying each other's company. Then she remembered something from earlier that she had promised to ask about.

"Amanda wants to know when we're telling Fin and Carisi. She's excited for her prize".


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Sorry this took so long! I felt like this was too short so I tried to write more, but then I realized that I didn't like what I was adding to it. Thank you so much for reading! Love y'all.**

 **1 Year Later**

"Come on, Mom! We're going to be late!" Noah groaned, tugging on her hand. He was practically dragging her through the dirt parking lot towards the ballfield. She knew that he was excited for his practice of the season, but she wasn't prepared to deal with this much energy.

"Slow down!" Olivia chuckled as she dug the heels of her sneakers into the dirt, using her weight to stop him in his tracks. "We're the first ones here. We're not going to miss anything if we walk" She tried to reassure him.

In fact, her car was the only one in the parking lot and she was starting to doubt that they actually had practice today. Maybe she read the schedule wrong? No, that couldn't be. Right before he left to go in to the office Peter kissed her and said something about seeing her at noon for practice. If the coach himself promised to see her at practice, then she would think that they had practice.

Something was off here…

"You can walk later! Right now you need to kick it into gear" Noah begged.

Olivia broke, giving into her son's request. Once they were closer to the field she could make out some familiar figures. Fin, Amanda, Jessie, and Carisi with Billie balanced on his hip all stood in the field, seemingly waiting for them. Noah let go of her hand and ran full speed to the field, his bat bag almost tripping him a couple of times. She felt her own feet picking up the pace despite her confusion. Her eyes scanned the field for Peter, smiling when he emerged from the dugout with his glove on and a ball clutched in his right hand. Noah threw his bag on the ground, grabbing his own glove before running to the pitcher's mound. She watched as Peter handed the ball over to Noah, giving him a nod.

Whatever was happening here was planned.

"You just going to stand there or do you plan on joining us?" Peter asked her, noticing that she was frozen outside of the gate. He jogged over to where she stood, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the plate. He told her to stand right outside of the batter's box while he squatted down behind the plate, readying himself to catch Noah's pitch.

Everyone was looking at them and smiling big, toothy smiles, making her cheeks redden. She had no idea what was going on and they were all in on it.

"Ready Coach?" Noah asked, already getting himself into his stance.

"It's game time" Peter told the young boy with a grin.

Olivia didn't know if she was supposed to step up or not. No one had handed her a bat, so she assumed that she should stay put. She watched as Noah threw the ball (a bit outside but it was still a good pitch) and it was impossible to miss the ear to ear grin on Peter's face as he caught it.

They wanted her to have a close-up view of their game of catch?

She was about to ask what the hell was going on when Peter stood up and grabbed her hand, bringing her into the batter's box. He let go of her hand so he could take the ball out of his glove. That's when she noticed the prominent line going through the middle of it. And was that a metal hinge? Peter tossed his glove onto the ground, passing the ball back and forth between his hands.

"Peter-" She started, but stopped herself when he knelt down on one knee, opening the "ball" to reveal a _beautiful_ ring. "Oh my God" She gasped, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. "What…"

A thousand words ran through her mind but none of them would actually come out.

"I have been planning this moment since our third date. When Noah asked me to coach his team I knew that this is how I wanted to do it. Just us, our family, on the field".

"Did Noah know about this?" She couldn't help but ask.

Peter nodded. "The ball was his idea" He admitted. "Olivia Margaret Benson, the first time I met you, you told me that you hoped that I sucked".

Olivia chuckled, finally moving her hands away from her mouth. "We've been over this. I'm glad you don't suck".

"You let me into your life, into Noah's life, and now I can't imagine a life without you Bensons. I had a lot more that I wanted to say but I feel like my heart is going to explode and I just...Will you marry me?"

 **THE END**


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